ARRL Letter

***************
The ARRL Letter
Vol. 25, No. 40
October 6, 2006
***************
IN THIS EDITION:
* +ARRL headed to federal court re certain BPL rules
* +League leans on FCC to release "omnibus" Amateur Radio order
* +New law makes Amateur Radio formally part of the EmComm community
* +Marketing non-certified CBs as ham gear nets big fine for travel center
* +Top Band beacon project hopes to explain 1901 transatlantic success
* +ARISS-NASA meetings lay foundation for future of ham radio in space
* Solar Update
* IN BRIEF:
This weekend on the radio
ARRL Certification and Continuing Education course registration
+WRTC 2010 to be held in Russia
+Martin P. Miller, NN2C, SK
Ken Widelitz, K6LA/VY2TT wins October QST Cover Plaque Award
IARU Monitoring System seeks over-the-horizon radar reports
Wake Island typhoon damage cancels DXpedition
DXCC Desk approves operation for DXCC credit
+Available on ARRL Audio News <http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/audio/>
===========================================================
==>Delivery problems: First see FAQ
<http://www.arrl.org/members-only/faq.html#nodelivery>, then e-mail
<letter-dlvy@arrl.org&gt;
==>Editorial questions or comments only: Rick Lindquist, N1RL,
<n1rl@arrl.org&gt;
===========================================================
NOTE: This week's editions of The ARRL Letter and the ARRL Audio News
webcast/podcast, are being distributed a day early to accommodate travel
schedules.
===========================================================
==>ARRL PLANS FEDERAL COURT APPEAL OF CERTAIN BPL RULES
The ARRL Executive Committee is expected this weekend to ratify plans to
appeal in federal court certain aspects of the FCC's Part 15 rules governing
broadband over power line (BPL) systems. Assuming the EC signs off on the
strategy, the League will file a Notice of Appeal by October 22 with the US
District Court of Appeals -- DC Circuit. ARRL Chief Executive Officer David
Sumner, K1ZZ, said the League went forward with its appeal plans only after
considering the effect on licensed spectrum users of letting the BPL rules
stand.
"This decision was made after careful review of the FCC's October 2004 BPL
Report and Order (R&O) and of the August 2006 Memorandum Opinion and Order
(MO&O) that dealt with petitions for reconsideration," said Sumner, who
addressed ARRL's concerns with the FCC's BPL rules in his "It Seems to Us .
. ." editorial in October QST
<http://www.arrl.org/news/features/2006/10/01/1/>.
Several reconsideration petitions of the initial R&O -- including one from
ARRL -- called on the FCC to strengthen rules aimed at protecting licensed
radio systems from BPL interference. Instead, in a new rule only revealed
after the FCC made the MO&O public, the FCC limited the extent to which an
unlicensed, unintentional radiator has to protect a licensed mobile station.
The new rule, ß15.611(c)(1)(iii), provides that BPL operators only have to
reduce emission levels below established FCC permissible limits by 20 dB
below 30 MHz and by 10 dB above 30 MHz -- even if that's not enough to
resolve harmful interference complaints.
"The FCC has, in effect, tried to redefine harmful interference," Sumner
said. "It can't do that. The Commission doesn't have the authority to do
that, and we're going to demonstrate that to the Court of Appeals."
What the FCC has done with respect to licensed mobile services "should
strike fear into the hearts of those who rely on public safety
communications," Sumner said, especially since the rule requires BPL
operators to do even less above 30 MHz than at HF.
The Commission also declined to adjust the 40 dB per decade "extrapolation
factor" applied to measurements performed at distances from power lines
other than those specified in Part 15. Sumner says this is an important
technical point because the existing Part 15 rule causes test results to
underestimate actual field strength. Petitions for reconsideration from the
ARRL and others argued that a figure closer to 20 dB per decade was more
appropriate. Sumner called the Commission's stand on the 40 dB per decade
rule "clearly, demonstrably and inarguably wrong."
He said the principles that the FCC appears to be following for the first
time -- if applied generally -- represent an abuse of licensees' rights.
"It's unacceptable that the FCC would reduce the rights of its licensees in
favor of unlicensed, unintentional emitters," he said. "Remember that
'unintentional emission' is just another term for 'spectrum pollution.'"
Sumner made it clear that the League is not suing BPL providers for causing
interference, nor suing the FCC for failing to enforce its own rules against
harmful interference. "We are not satisfied with the level of attention the
Commission is paying to existing cases of BPL interference, but this is not
the time to pursue that in federal court," he said.
While the separate standard for what constitutes harmful interference to a
mobile and the 40 dB per decade extrapolation factor issues precipitated the
decision to appeal, Sumner said, the arguments the League puts forward in
its court filing may touch on other matters as well.
"The court is not going to rewrite the rules," Sumner explained. "The court
can make the Commission go back to the drawing board and re-decide them,
however."
==>ARRL PRESSES FCC TO RELEASE "OMNIBUS" AMATEUR RADIO REPORT AND ORDER
The ARRL has called upon FCC Chairman Kevin J. Martin and his four
Commission colleagues to help end "a very frustrating and protracted delay"
by releasing a Report and Order in the so-called "Omnibus" Amateur Radio
proceeding, WT Docket 04-140. The 2004 Wireless Telecommunications Bureau
(WTB) proceeding, one of two still awaiting FCC release, consolidated a
dozen rule making petitions addressing various Part 97 rule changes --
including ARRL's Novice refarming proposal. In its Notice of Proposed Rule
Making and Order (NPRM&O), the Commission proposed to go along with the
League's refarming concept and most other recommendations. ARRL President
Joel Harrison, W5ZN, says the long-overdue Report and Order seems to be
stalled for no reason.
"I believe it's grossly incompetent for a government agency to fail to act
on something affecting the Amateur Radio Service," Harrison commented,
"especially after the recognition Amateur Radio has received over the past
year from members of Congress, public service agencies and even the
President." The oldest of the rule making petitions dates back more than
five years, while the NPRM&O came out two and one-half years ago. "There's
nothing controversial in this proceeding," he said. "The FCC needs to act on
this. That's the bottom line."
In an October 3 letter to the Commission
<http://www.arrl.org/announce/regulatory/wt04-140/ARRL-Ltr2FCCreWT-04-140.pd
f>, Harrison said the Amateur Radio Service asks very little of the FCC,
"and our performance during recent disasters amply justifies facilitation of
these relatively minor rule changes" that will enhance Amateur Radio's
ability to react in emergencies and disasters. The FCC's apparent
foot-dragging "is not responsive government," he wrote.
The ARRL's Novice refarming plan would reallocate current Novice/Tech Plus
subbands to expand portions of the 80, 40 and 15 meter phone bands. Harrison
maintained that the League's proposal and others in the proceeding would
"greatly improve the efficiency of Amateur Radio's use of the high-frequency
(HF) spectrum."
The FCC further agreed with the ARRL's proposal to extend privileges in the
current General CW-only HF subbands to present Novice and Tech Plus
licensees (or Technicians with Element 1 credit). It also proposed to
largely do away with Part 97 rules prohibiting the manufacture and marketing
to Amateur Radio operators of amplifiers capable of operation on 10 and 12
meters.
An ARRL delegation that met with Martin's Chief of Staff Fred Campbell last
February was told that nothing substantive was holding up the proceeding.
Since that time, Harrison told the Commission, inquiries addressed to
Campbell and to WTB management and staff regarding the proceeding's status
have gone unanswered.
"I urge you to release the Report and Order that we understand has been
drafted and ready for Commission consideration for more than a year now,"
Harrison stressed in closing.
Perhaps more eagerly awaited is FCC action on the "Morse code" proceeding,
WT Docket 05-235. WTB staff already has indicated that a Report and Order in
the older "omnibus" proceeding will come first, however. The FCC's Notice of
Proposed Rule Making and Order (NPRM&O) in WT Docket 05-235 last July
proposed to eliminate the Element 1 (5 WPM) Morse code requirement for all
license classes.
A Report and Order in either Amateur Radio proceeding would formally adopt
and spell out the changes and specify their effective dates.
==>NEW LAW FORMALLY MAKES AMATEUR RADIO PART OF EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS
COMMUNITY
A section of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) 2007 Appropriations
Act, HR 5441 <http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:h.r.05441:>,
formally includes Amateur Radio operators as a part of the emergency
communications community. Congress approved the measure before adjourning
for its pre-election break. President George W. Bush signed the bill into
law October 4.
Amateur Radio is included within the legislation's Subtitle D, Section 671,
known as the "21st Century Emergency Communications Act." Radio amateurs are
among the entities with which a Regional Emergency Communications
Coordination Working Group (RECC Working Group) must coordinate its
activities. Included within the DHS's Office of Emergency Communications --
which the measure also creates -- RECC Working Groups attached to each
regional DHS office will advise federal and state homeland security
officials. The final version of the legislation incorporated language from
both House and Senate bills and was hammered out in a conference committee.
An earlier version of the 21st Century Emergency Communications Act, HR
5852, included Amateur Radio operators as members of the RECC Working
Groups.
In addition to Amateur Radio operators, RECC Working Groups also will
coordinate with communications equipment manufacturers and vendors --
including broadband data service providers, local exchange carriers, local
broadcast media, wireless carriers, satellite communications services, cable
operators, hospitals, public utility services, emergency evacuation transit
services, ambulance services, and representatives from other private sector
entities and nongovernmental organizations.
The RECC Working Groups will assess the survivability, sustainability and
interoperability of local emergency communication systems to meet the goals
of the National Emergency Communications Report. That report would recommend
how the US could "accelerate the deployment of interoperable emergency
communications nationwide." They also will coordinate the establishment of
"effective multi-jurisdictional, multi-agency emergency communications
networks" that could be brought into play in an emergency or disaster.
In light of the new legislation, the ARRL plans to follow up to determine
how it can interact with the DHS and its Office of Emergency Communications.
==>FCC DOCKS TRAVEL CENTER FOR MARKETING NON-CERTIFIED CBs AS AMATEUR GEAR
The FCC has fined Love's Travel Stops & Country Stores Inc of Oklahoma City,
Oklahoma, $25,000 for violating the Communications Act of 1934, as amended,
by offering for sale non-certified Citizens Band (CB) transceivers. The
Forfeiture Order (NoF)
<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1936A1.pdf>
released September 29 recounts a history of alleged violations dating back
to 2001, when the Commission issued the first of seven citations to Love's
for marketing non-certified CB transceivers. All CB transmitting equipment
must first receive FCC certification before it can be marketed or sold in
the US.
"Based on the evidence before us, we find that Love's willfully and
repeatedly violated Section 302(b) of the Act and Section 2.803(a) of the
rules by offering for sale non-certified CB transmitters on three instances
-- two on February 23, 2005, and one on February 25, 2005," said the NoF,
signed by the FCC Enforcement Bureau's South Central Region Director Dennis
P. Carlton. The FCC said that between March 2004 and January 2005,
Enforcement Bureau field agents, following up on complaints, visited 10
Love's retail outlets in Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona and California. "At these
locations, the stores displayed and offered for sale various models of
non-certified CB transceivers marketed as ARS [Amateur Radio Service]
transmitters," the FCC NoF noted.
According to the NoF, Love's attorney had argued that because the radios in
question were marketed as Amateur Radio equipment and "as sold" operate only
on the amateur bands, the transceivers fell under the FCC's Part 97 Amateur
Radio Service rules. The FCC pointed out, however, that its Office of
Engineering and Technology (OET) had specifically tested the two Galaxy
models in question (DX99V and DX33HML) and found both to be "dual-use"
Amateur Radio and CB transmitters.
"Each of the models could be modified to allow transmit capabilities on CB
frequencies," the FCC said in the NoF. In 1999, the OET clarified that ARS
transceivers that have "a built-in capability to operate on CB frequencies
and can easily be altered to activate that capability, such as by moving or
removing a jumper plug or cutting a single wire" fall under the FCC's
definition of a CB transmitter.
"We conclude that seven citations were more than sufficient to provide
Love's actual notice that marketing this equipment is unlawful and that
continued violations could make Love's liable for severe sanctions," the FCC
said.
The Love's case was reminiscent of other FCC enforcement proceedings
alleging marketing of uncertified CB transceivers labeled as Amateur Radio
gear, including one against Pilot Travel Centers LLC that could have cost
the company $125,000 in fines. That case ended last May with a consent
decree. While Pilot agreed to make "a voluntary contribution" of $90,000 to
the US Treasury "without further protest or recourse," it did not admit to
any wrongdoing.
In June, the FCC affirmed a $7000 fine on TravelCenters of America in
Troutdale, Oregon, for marketing uncertified CB transceivers as 10-meter
Amateur Radio transceivers. The FCC turned away TravelCenters' argument that
the transceivers in question were not CB transceivers, which require FCC
certification, but Amateur Radio transceivers, which do not.
==>160-METER EXPERIMENT WILL EXPLORE MARCONI'S 1901 TRANSATLANTIC SUCCESS
A 160-meter beacon will take to the air this fall and winter from Cornwall,
England, to explore how Guglielmo Marconi was able to span the Atlantic by
wireless for the first time on December 12, 1901. Radio history says that's
when the radio pioneer at a receiving station in Newfoundland successfully
copied the Morse code letter "s" sent repeatedly by his team in the Cornwall
town of Poldhu. The latter-day venture is a cooperative effort of the Poldhu
Amateur Radio Club (PARK) in Cornwall and the Marconi Radio Club of
Newfoundland (MCRN). The Poldhu club's Keith Matthew, G0WYS, said the 2001
centenary of Marconi's achievement reopened discussion into the mechanism by
which the 1901 spark transmitter signal propagated.
"The winter of 1901 coincided with a sunspot minimum, and it was realized
that this coming December 2006 should show similar conditions to those of
December 1901," he said. Just how Marconi was able to receive the
transatlantic transmission has long been a topic of discussion and even
controversy, especially given the frequency Marconi is likely to have used,
thought to be between 800 and 900 kHz, and the time of day, afternoon in
Newfoundland.
"The beacon will help understand the possibility of low sunspot number
transatlantic medium wave propagation 24 hours a day, but especially 1400
through 1800 UTC," Matthew said. The 160-meter amateur band is being used,
he explained, because Marconi's original frequency today is a highly
populated piece of the radio spectrum.
"It was realized that a clear channel would be necessary on the nearest
amateur band, and a temporary license to operate a beacon on 160 meters has
now been obtained," Matthew announced. Starting on or about November 1 and
continuing through next February, the GB3SSS beacon will transmit on 1960
kHz.
The 1960 kHz beacon will use a two-minute transmit sequence starting at the
top of the hour. It will consist of a CW identification followed by a series
of carrier bursts, each reducing in power by 6 dB. An identification in
PSK31 will follow. The transmit sequence will repeat at 15-minute intervals.
On the listening end in Newfoundland will be well-known low-frequency
experimenter Joe Craig, VO1NA, of the MRCN, who lives near St John's. "This
is a very exciting project," Craig said. "I am very grateful for the support
from my fellow members in the club and our sister club, the Poldhu Amateur
Radio Club." Craig offered his own observations on Marconi's 1901 feat in a
2001 article "Marconi's First Transatlantic Wireless Experiment," for The
Canadian Amateur, the journal of Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC)
<http://www.ucs.mun.ca/~jcraig/marconi.html>. Also monitoring in North
America will be the Antique Wireless Association's W2AN club station in
upstate New York.
ARRL member and radio history buff Bart Lee, KV6LEE, proposed the 160-meter
experiment to test the feasibility of Marconi's 1901 claimed achievement.
"Continuing cooperation between Canadian and British Amateur Radio operators
can thus play a part in verification of one of the most interesting events
in the history of our technology," Lee said in his article "A Plea for
Timely Experiments" on the California Historical Radio Web site
<http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/photos53.html>. Lee and Matthew
recently visited with Craig and other MRCN members in Newfoundland.
E-mail beacon reception reports <gb3sss@yahoo.co.uk&gt;.
==>ARISS TEAM "ALWAYS ON A ROLL," ARRL LIAISON SAYS
Recent meetings with NASA officials have laid the foundation for the future
of the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program
<http://www.rac.ca/ariss> and, at the same time, garnered accolades for
Amateur Radio. Sponsorship of the ARISS program is moving from NASA
Headquarters to Johnson Spaceflight Center (JSC) in Houston, and ARISS
International Chair Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, and ARISS International
Secretary-Treasurer Rosalie White, K1STO, recently held planning sessions
with various JSC offices. White described the sessions as "stepping stones"
to the realization of future ARISS projects and programs.
"The ARISS Team continues to be on a roll with new and exciting aspects to
plan and develop," White said. "It isn't just daydreaming. It is dreams that
turn into reality for hundreds of thousands of youths, thousands hams and
even most astronauts!" Accompanying Bauer and White on the visits were
Bauer's deputy, Mark Steiner, K3MS, and NASA ISS Ham Radio Project Engineer
Kenneth Ransom, N5VHO.
The ARISS team's first stop was the ISS Program Office to review a new,
nearly completed NASA-ARISS charter. The ISS Program Office's Carlos
Fontanot confirmed that the ARISS team will be charged with overseeing all
Amateur Radio-in-space activities, no matter what ham radio group initiates
them, White said.
At the JSC Education Office, the ARISS delegation discussed the transition
of ARISS sponsorship from NASA Headquarters to JSC. They met with Education
Leader Cynthia McArthur -- wife of astronaut and ISS Expedition 12 Commander
Bill McArthur, KC5ACR. Bauer and White asked McArthur to thank her husband
for thrilling thousands of hams by getting on the air so often during his
ISS mission. McArthur said she was impressed by the number of Expedition 12
Google hits that mentioned Amateur Radio.
The ARISS delegation also met with ISS Expedition 9 astronaut Mike Fincke,
KE5AIT. "He made it very plain that he truly enjoyed getting on the air for
ragchew QSOs and being interviewed by school children about the ISS," said
White. "He expressed the hope that all astronauts will earn their ham
licenses and be able to realize the same pleasures he got from hamming."
Fincke told the ARISS team that he found ARISS to be both exciting and, as
an educational outreach program, a great global teaching tool. He recounted
that when he missed his family and friends while on orbit, he'd grab the
NA1SS mike and call CQ, finding hams all over the world just waiting to make
a contact with him. "ARISS lets the ISS crew make contacts with unknown
citizens. A crew member needs that," he told Bauer and White.
Huddling later with Al Holt of the JSC Space Operations Sponsored
Experiments Office, Bauer and White said they'd like to an ARISS role in the
"Moon, Mars and Beyond" initiative. They cited Amateur Radio's potential as
a valuable tool to people living on the moon for several months at a time.
"Moon-base hamming could be similar to hamming in Antarctica," White said.
"ARISS is the foundation for worlds of opportunity. The ARISS Team is
cautiously optimistic that it will be supporting Moon, Mars & Beyond."
The ARISS Team also consulted with Steve VanderArk, KC5WKH. He heads the
Wyle Labs team of contractors that schedules the astronauts' workdays. Once
the exploration initiative ramps up, he said, the ISS Program Office will
schedule many construction-related flights. He pointed out that while the
busy crews may not have as much time for Amateur Radio, more of them will be
available to do ARISS QSOs. "ARISS makes a huge impact on the crew and on
education," Vanderark said.
==>SOLAR UPDATE
Sol man Tad "Blinded by the Light" Cook, K7RA, Seattle, Washington, reports:
Daily sunspot numbers and solar flux were higher this week. Average daily
sunspot numbers rose by nearly 22 points to 34.6. Average daily solar flux
was up nearly by 6 points to 76.7.
From the first quarter of 2004 through the third quarter of 2006, the
average daily sunspot number was 72.9, 71.3, 69.3, 61, 46.1, 55.7, 58, 36,
18.1, 39.7 and 23.5. The average daily solar flux for the same period was
111.1, 99.5, 111, 104.8, 96.4, 93.1, 93.6, 84.5, 78.5, 82.1 and 77.5.
That still looks like a steady downward slope as we end Sunspot Cycle 23.
The Space Environment Center (SEC) forecast still predicts a low point for
sunspot numbers during the March-April time frame next year. Once we get
there, we should observe at least several weeks of no sunspots at all.
For more information concerning radio propagation, see the ARRL Technical
Information Service Propagation page
<http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/propagation.html>.
Sunspot numbers for September 28 through October 4 were 36, 51, 38, 35, 36,
23 and 23 with a mean of 34.6. The 10.7 cm flux was 73, 76.5, 77.7, 78.4,
77.9, 76.6, and 76.7, with a mean of 76.7. Estimated planetary A indices
were 2, 3, 12, 25, 7, 5 and 3, with a mean of 8.1. Estimated mid-latitude A
indices were 2, 3, 9, 14, 6, 6 and 2, with, a mean of 6.
__________________________________
==>IN BRIEF:
* This weekend on the radio: The California QSO Party (CQP), the Oceania DX
Contest (SSB), the International HELL-Contest, the EU Autumn Sprint (SSB),
the PRO CW Contest and the UBA ON Contest (SSB) are the weekend of October
7-8. JUST AHEAD: The 10-10 International 10-10 Day Sprint is October 10. The
YLRL Anniversary Party (SSB) is October 10-12. The NAQCC Straight Key/Bug
Sprint is October 11. The North American Sprint (RTTY), the ARRL EME Contest
(50-1296 MHz - Part 2), the Makrothen RTTY Contest, the Microwave Fall
Sprint, the Oceania DX Contest (CW), the EU Autumn Sprint (CW), the
Pennsylvania QSO Party, the F.I.S.T.S. Fall Sprint, the Asia-Pacific Fall
Sprint (CW), and the UBA ON Contest (2 meters) are the weekend of October
14-15. The Run for the Bacon QRP Contest is October 16. See the ARRL Contest
Branch page <http://www.arrl.org/contests/> and the WA7BNM Contest Calendar
<http://www.hornucopia.com/contestcal/index.html> for more info.
* ARRL Certification and Continuing Education course registration:
Registration remains open through Sunday, October 22, for these ARRL
Certification and Continuing Education (CCE) on-line courses: Amateur Radio
License Course (EC-010), Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Level 1
(EC-001), Radio Frequency Interference (EC-006), Antenna Design and
Construction (EC-009), Analog Electronics (EC-012) and Digital Electronics
(EC-013). Classes begin Friday, November 3. These courses will also open for
registration Friday, October 20, for classes beginning Friday, December 1.
To learn more, visit the CCE Course Listing page
<http://www.arrl.org/cce/courses.html> or contact the CCE Department
<cce@arrl.org&gt;.
* WRTC 2010 to be held in Russia: The World Radiosport Team Championship
Sanctioning Committee (WRTC-SC) has announced the next WRTC will be held in
Russia for the first time in 2010. The Soyuz Radiolyubitelei Rossii (SRR) --
the Union of Radio Amateurs of Russia -- will be the primary sponsor, and
SRR President Roman Thomas, RZ3AA, is the host committee chairman. The event
will be held in the vicinity of Moscow in conjunction with the IARU HF World
Championship in July 2010. The committee plans to publish qualification
rules and procedures and establish a WRTC 2010 Web site as soon as possible.
The WRTC-SC expressed its gratitude to the Russian team for its hard work in
preparing the proposal and undertaking initial planning for the
event.--Contester's Rate Sheet <http://www.arrl.org/contests/rate-sheet/>
* Martin P. Miller, NN2C, SK: Martin P. "Marty" Miller, NN2C, of Melville,
New York, died September 30. He was 84. Miller was a DXCC Honor Roll member
on both phone and CW. An ARRL member, he was very active in the Long Island
DX Association (LIDXA), where he was a member for more than 25 years and
president for 7 years. "He would regularly bring his new DXpedition videos
down to LIDXA meetings and was always trying out new software and hardware
in his station," said LIDXA Secretary Ed Whitman, K2MFY. Miller was among
the US troops that went ashore at Normandy in 1944 ahead of the first
invasion wave as part of a special combat assault unit. He received the
Silver Star for his actions that day. Licensed more than 30 years ago (he
formerly held WB2VEX), Miller also served as president of the QCWA's Long
Island Chapter 81 and belonged to the Grumman Amateur Radio Club..
* Ken Widelitz, K6LA/VY2TT wins September QST Cover Plaque Award: The winner
of the QST Cover Plaque Award for September is Ken Widelitz, K6LA/VY2TT, for
his article "Learning from Your Log Checking Report." Congratulations, Ken!
The winner of the QST Cover Plaque award--given to the author or authors of
the best article in each issue--is determined by a vote of ARRL members on
the QST Cover Plaque Poll Web page
<http://www.arrl.org/members-only/QSTvote.html>. Cast a ballot for your
favorite article in the October issue by Tuesday, October 31.
* IARU Monitoring System seeks over-the-horizon radar reports: IARU Region 2
Monitoring System Coordinator Bill Zellers, WA4FKI, says Amateur Radio
stations on the West Coast and as far east as Arizona have reported hearing
over-the-horizon radar signals on the low bands. VE7BZ in British Columbia
recorded the radar's signal October 1, 1353 UTC, on 3.795 MHz
<http://www.arrl.org/news/crawlies/10081/OTH-R-3795-VE7BZ-100106.mp3>. The
radar, apparently located on Hainan Island, Peoples Republic of China, has
shown up on 160, 80 and 40 meters and sometimes is quite strong. On 80/75
meters it appears as high as 3.8 MHz, while on 40 meters, it's showing up on
the lower 25 kHz or so. Typically there are about 50 seconds between signal
pulses. He said the radar signals are strongest on a heading of between 285
and 320 degrees from California or Arizona. Zellers requests reports from
stations hearing the over-the-horizon radar signals as well as any other
signals that do not appear to belong on the amateur bands. He suggests the
following report format: Your call sign, time in UTC, frequency, emission
type, signal strength, propagation and signal bandwidth in kHz. Send reports
to Zeller via e-mail <wa4fki@nc.rr.com&gt;.
* Wake Island typhoon damage cancels DXpedition: The Daily DX
<http://www.dailydx.com/> reports that because Typhoon Ioke caused moderate
to severe damage to 70 percent of the buildings on Wake Island (KH9) in
August, a planned DXpedition to the South Pacific atoll has been cancelled.
ARRL member Tom Meier, K7ZZ, had planned to operate from Wake Island this
month. "There is no potable water, sewer, or electrical distribution
facilities available on the island," The Daily DX reported September 29.
Ioke, a Category 5 storm with 165 MPH winds, made a direct hit on Wake
Island. "The US Air Force is in the process of deciding whether to simply
abandon the island or to make repairs and reopen the facility," The Daily DX
reported. "Until the decision to reopen the island is made, no visitors of
any kind will be permitted on the island." An unincorporated US territory,
Wake Island has no indigenous population, but some 200 US military
contractors were evacuated prior to the storm's arrival.
* DXCC Desk approves operation for DXCC credit: The ARRL DXCC Desk has
approved this operation for DXCC credit: TT8LN (Chad), February 12-June 5,
2006. A reminder: The DXCC Desk now is accepting submissions for Swain's
Island (KH8). For more information, visit the DXCC Web page
<http://www.arrl.org/awards/dxcc/>. "DXCC Frequently Asked Questions" can
answer most questions about the DXCC program.
===========================================================
The ARRL Letter is published Fridays, 50 times each year, by the American
Radio Relay League: ARRL--the National Association For Amateur Radio, 225
Main St, Newington, CT 06111; tel 860-594-0200; fax 860-594-0259;
<http://www.arrl.org/>. Joel Harrison, W5ZN, President.
The ARRL Letter offers a weekly e-mail digest of essential and general news
of interest to active radio amateurs. Visit the ARRL Web site
<http://www.arrl.org/> for the latest Amateur Radio news and news updates.
The ARRL Web site <http://www.arrl.org/> also offers informative features
and columns. ARRL Audio News <http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/audio/> is a
weekly "ham radio newscast" compiled and edited from The ARRL Letter. It's
also available as a podcast from our Web site.
Material from The ARRL Letter may be republished or reproduced in whole or
in part in any form without additional permission. Credit must be given to
The ARRL Letter/American Radio Relay League.
==>Delivery problems (ARRL member direct delivery only!):
letter-dlvy@arrl.org
==>Editorial questions or comments: Rick Lindquist, N1RL, n1rl@arrl.org
==>ARRL News on the Web: <http://www.arrl.org/>
==>ARRL Audio News: <http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/audio/> or call
860-594-0384
==>How to Get The ARRL Letter
The ARRL Letter is available to ARRL members free of charge directly from
ARRL HQ. To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your address for e-mail
delivery:
ARRL members first must register on the Members Only Web Site
<http://www.arrl.org/members/>. You'll have an opportunity during
registration to sign up for e-mail delivery of The ARRL Letter, W1AW
bulletins, and other material. To change these selections--including
delivery of The ARRL Letter--registered members should click on the "Member
Data Page" link (in the Members Only box). Click on "Modify membership
data," check or uncheck the appropriate boxes and/or change your e-mail
address if necessary. (Check "Temporarily disable all automatically sent
email" to temporarily stop all e-mail deliveries.) Then, click on "Submit
modification" to make selections effective. (NOTE: HQ staff members cannot
change your e-mail delivery address. You must do this yourself via the
Members Only Web Site.)
The ARRL Letter also is available to all, free of charge, from these
sources:
* ARRLWeb <http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/>. (NOTE: The ARRL Letter will be
posted each Friday when it is distributed via e-mail.)
* The QTH.net listserver, thanks to volunteers from the Boston Amateur Radio
Club: Visit Mailing Lists@QTH.Net
<http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/letter-list>. (NOTE: The ARRL
cannot assist subscribers who receive The ARRL Letter via this listserver.)

The ARRL Letter

The ARRL Letter offers a weekly summary of essential news of interest to active amateurs that is available in advance of publication in QST, our official journal. The ARRL Letter strives to be timely, accurate, concise and readable.

Much of the ARRL¬†Letter content is also available in audio form in ARRL¬†Audio News.

Material from The ARRL Letter may be republished or reproduced in whole or in part in any form without additional permission. Credit must be given to The ARRL Letter and The American Radio Relay League.

Back issues published since 2000 are available on this page. If you wish to subscribe via e-mail, simply log on to the ARRL Web site, click on Edit Your Profile at the top, then click on Edit Email Subscriptions. Check the box next to The ARRL email newsletter, the ARRL Letter and you will receive each weekly issue in HTML format. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Plain-Text

The ARRL E-Letter e-mail is also available in plain-text version:

Outlook Express

1. From the Inbox view, select the Tools menu and the Options selection.

2. Click the Read tab

3. Check the Read All Messages In Plain Text box.¬† When you open the e-mail, it will be in plain text without images. Other e-mail programs may be able to make a Mail Rule for e-mail received from the address memberlist@www.arrl.org so that the plain-text-only display is selected automatically.

Outlook 2007

Use the same procedure as for Outlook Express, although the global option is under "Tools/Trust Center/E-mail Security".

Use the "Message text garbled?" link in the drop-down menu at the upper right of the displayed message block. pine, alpine Set "prefer-plain-text" in your ~/.pinerc configuration file: feature-list=..., prefer-plain-text, ...